Books › Supplying War
Supplying War
First published 1977 · 326 pages
A lively, pragmatic deep-dive into the unglamorous but vital mechanics of movement and supply that truly decide the fate of empires.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping behind the curtain of grand military history to examine the gears and pulleys that actually make it run. It offers a steady, meticulously researched journey through centuries of conflict, stripping away the romance of battlefield tactics to focus on the gritty, pragmatic realities of logistics, transportation, and administration. The tone is lively yet deeply analytical, asking fresh questions about famous campaigns from Napoleon to World War II. The prose is clear and authoritative, transforming what could be dry administrative data into an engaging exploration of the mechanics of war. It will delight history buffs who crave a grounded, unusual perspective on how monumental victories and defeats are truly forged.
- Mood
- intellectual
- pragmatic
- grounded
- contemplative
- Tone
- analytical
- lively
- meticulous
- authoritative
- inquisitive
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- the mechanics of conflict · logistical realities · the hidden foundations of victory · historical re-evaluation
- The writing
- Meticulously researched and lively, presenting complex administrative and logistical data with engaging clarity.
- The arc
- Moves from curiosity about famous historical outcomes to a grounded appreciation for the gritty, practical realities that dictate them.
- Who it's for
- Military history enthusiasts who want to look past battlefield glory to understand the practical mechanics of how wars are actually sustained.
Content notes
- war
- military conflict
About the book
Why did Napoleon succeed in 1805 but fail in 1812? Were the railways vital to Prussia's victory over France in 1870? Was the famous Schlieffen Plan militarily sound? Could the European half of World War II have been ended in 1944? These are only a few of the questions that form the subject-matter of this meticulously researched, lively book. Drawing on a very wide range of unpublished and previously unexploited sources, Martin van Creveld examines the 'nuts and bolts' of war: namely, those formidable problems of movement and supply, transportation and administration, so often mentioned - but rarely explored - by the vast majority of books on military history. In doing so he casts his net far and wide, from Gustavus Adolphus to Rommel, from Marlborough to Patton, subjecting the operations of each to a thorough analysis from a fresh and unusual point of view.
Description from Open Library.
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